Microresearch for Rural Health

The goal of microresearch, as we are using the term, is to promote sustainable rural health professions education research and scholarly activity through seed grants and mentoring. “Microfinance” has shown that a small infusion of capital can “prime the pump” for creative local economic productivity. Since 2008, microresearch has used a similar approach to train local health care professionals find sustainable solutions to local health problems using community focused research through three stages:

· research training workshops

· coaching to prepare proposals

· funding and translating projects

Rural PREP is adapting this strategy to a rural health professions education and training community of practice in the United States.

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Articulate a definition of “microresearch”
2. Give an example of how it has been used to promote sustainable improvements in rural health in Africa
3. Apply for, or assist learners in applying for, a Rural PREP microresearch grant
4. Join the Rural PREP community of practice in rural primary care health professions education and training

This product was supported by the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under cooperative agreement #UH1HP29966. The information, conclusions and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and no endorsement by BHW, HRSA, or HHS is intended or should be inferred.